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Strong skillset needed for joining work late in life
Sudha, an engineer by qualification chose to stay home and care for her family after her marriage. She focused on her career full time only after her children grew up. Now she is successful in her work and has received due acknowledgement for the same.
There are many women like Sudha. These women are competent and qualified and yet make the choice of prioritising family over career especially during the children’s growing up years. These women can prove to be dedicated professionals if the re-entry to workplace is planned and executed in an organised manner. Right initiative and direction from the individuals and a hand extended by the corporates can create an ideal re-entry for qualified women.
The Australian government for instance has special initiatives for accommodating qualified women who would like to put their knowledge to good use after their children have grown up. The academia in particular has shown a proactive interest in the same. Many women in Australia have genuinely benefited through such programmes.
Individual initiative
Not going to work does not mean washing off one’s hands from everything related to one’s field of knowledge. It is important and useful to stay in touch with the field. This can be done through regular reading.
Access to information is not really an issue; one has bookstores, libraries, technical journals and the Internet. Staying connected and building up a network with like-minded individuals in the field is also helpful.
This way it is easy to stay updated and be aware of the current happenings and changes in the field. To regain currency in one’s profession there are innumerable options if only we look for them. Online certifications and other alternatives can be employed to stay uptodate with current standards in the industry of one’s choice. Another course of action available is to take up small assignments or voluntary service and get hands-on experience.
Divya, an IT professional, planned her return to the workplace well in advance. When she decided to return to work she enrolled herself for a distance mode MCA. She got in touch with her circle of IT friends and found what she needed to be updated on. She also got herself specific online certifications.
Across a month in summer, she was involved in a project of a family friend who ran a small IT firm of his own. At the end of it all, landing up a job and joining work was far from difficult.
Corporate initiative
For all the interest and enthusiasm shown by individuals they could end up meeting a dead end called recruitment policies. If recruitment policies could be realigned to accommodate and acknowledge qualification and knowledge rather than number of years then there is some hope.
This will be beneficial to the organisation as well for they would have individuals who have chosen to dedicate their time primarily to their children and now choose to do the same to their work. Hiring in such instances must be based on potential and capability rather than years of service.
After hiring it is also important to remember not to penalise the employee in any way for the career break. This usually happens in the form of drastic discrepancies in pay package or by offering an inappropriate position.
Undoubtedly the back to work routine is bound to have its share of teething problems.
Offering bridge programs that help the employee settle into the groove can have lasting positive effects. It will help the individual in understanding the work and work culture better as well as provide some warming up to the real tasks ahead.
There are fields in which experience is crucial. In such cases one has no choice but to opt for fields where potential and knowledge would suffice. A competent worker would always get work and for companies it would be a good initiative to welcome them even if they step in late.
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DEEPA KIRAN
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